Sporrans: Day, Dress and Hunting

You will learn how leather, fur, cantles and closures separate day, semi-dress and dress sporrans, and when each fits your outfit. Day means plain brown leather for daily use, semi-dress mixes leather and hair for semi-formal wear, and dress and full-dress mean fur, tassels and metal cantles for formal occasions.

Why a kilt needs a pouch at all

Sporran on Wikipedia gives the Gaelic word its meaning of purse and describes the sporran as a traditional part of men's Scottish Highland dress. It functions as a pocket for the kilt, so you use it as a wallet and as a container for other personal items you need to carry. The traditional kilt does not have pockets, which explains why the pouch stayed in use in the Highlands. Sporran on Wikipedia presents it as a remnant of the common European medieval belt-pouch, superseded elsewhere as clothing came to have pockets, but continuing where Highland dress retained no such accessory. It says sporrans are made of leather or fur, and that ornamentation is chosen to complement the formality of the dress worn with it. For you, the rule is direct. The more formal your dress, the more ornament your pouch can carry, while plain leather stays with everyday wear.

Where the sporran sits and why you move it

Sporran on Wikipedia places the sporran on a leather strap or chain, conventionally positioned in front of the groin of the wearer. It hangs below the belt buckle, and much effort is made to match its style and design. The kilt belt buckle may be very ornate, and it may contain similar motifs to the sporran cantle and the sgian dubh, so you should look at those three pieces together when you dress. Early sporrans would have been worn suspended from the belt or on either hip, rather than hung from a separate strap in front of the wearer. That history helps you understand the modern habit. When driving a car, dancing, playing drums, or engaging in any activity where a heavy pouch might encumber the wearer, the sporran may be turned around the waist to let it hang on the hip in a more casual position. If you are learning how buckles, pins and hose sit together, check the hang of the strap first, because a pouch that sits too low pulls forward and looks detached from the buckle line.

What makes a day sporran a day sporran

Day sporrans are usually brown leather shovel pouches with simple adornment. Sporran on Wikipedia notes three or more leather tassels and frequently Celtic knot designs carved or embossed into the leather. This style of traditional purse is convenient to use on a daily basis, which is why you see it described as made entirely of leather, with a leather flap and front, and three or more tassels. The flap and body are often embossed or hand-tooled with Celtic, thistle, or other designs, and the pouch fastens with a stud or hook closure. There is no metal cantle across the top in this form, and no fur face. The leather flap does the work of closing and decorating the pouch at once. You wear this type for ordinary daytime use, for work, for walking, and for informal gatherings where a fur front would look out of place. If you want a steady hang, read how waist, hips and length set the fit before you secure the strap, because the pouch should clear the front apron without swinging.

How do you recognise a semi-dress sporran

Semi-dress sporrans combine the same shape and design as the day sporran and a less formal version of the full-dress sporran. They are often worn for semi-formal occasions with Argyll outfits, so you can treat the Argyll jacket as your cue for this middle level. Designs may decorate the leather flap of this style, or a silver clan symbol or other insignia may adorn the flap. The body fur of this style is normally a hair hide rather than the more luxurious hide reserved for full-dress sporrans. You can compare the history and types of sporran while you handle one, and you will see the mix clearly. The basic form is commonly described with a fur front, leather gusset, three decorated fur tassels with regular or cross chains, and a leather flap at the top. Celtic or Scottish designs are often featured on the flap, and the flap may have pewter badge decoration to enhance the design. In short, leather still frames the pouch, fur softens the front, and the top stays leather rather than turning into a full metal cantle.

What sets dress and full-dress apart

Dress sporrans can be larger than the day variety and are often highly ornate. Victorian examples were usually quite ostentatious and much more elaborate than the simple leather pouch of the 17th or 18th century. They may have sterling or silver-plated cantles trimming the top of the pouch and a fur-covered face with fur or hair tassels. The cantle may contain intricate filigree or etchings of Celtic knots. The top of the cantle may have a set stone, jewel, or emblems such as Saint Andrew, a thistle, a clan, or Masonic symbols. Full-dress is regarded as the most formal type of sporran, and Sporran on Wikipedia calls it an essential attachment for those who wear kilts in special ceremonies and formal events. It normally contains fur fronts, a fur gusset, 3 to 6 decorative fur tassels with regular or cross chains, and a metal cantle at the top. The cantle arcs along the top of the pouch and conceals a clasp, ordinarily made from pewter or silver. It might be decorated with Celtic symbols such as the lion rampant, thistle, stag, or Saltire, and some elaborate cantles may include gemstones, such as garnets. This style commonly fastens at the rear with a stud on a small flap that connects the front and rear of the sporran. The larger size allows the wearer to carry a range of items, so you choose it when ceremony and evening dress call for fur, metal and chain.

What about hunting, full mask and horsehair styles

Sporran on Wikipedia does not provide details about the materials, cantles, closures, or occasions for a hunting sporran, so this guide cannot separate that label from day or semi-dress on the evidence given. It does describe two other distinctive forms that readers sometimes meet at events. The full mask style is commonly made from the head of an animal such as the badger, otter, fox, Scottish wildcat, pine marten, or another small animal. The animal head typically forms the front flap of the pouch, and the body of the pouch is made from the same pelt. Sporran on Wikipedia links this to Scottish tradition, since the earliest pouches probably included the head with the pelt. Today, people do not wear this style very often for standard formal occasions, though it may be worn in historic re-enactments and festivals as a costume accessory. The horsehair style is most commonly worn as part of regimental attire for pipers or drummers. In general, it is one of the most dramatic and largest of dress sporrans, with a very formal style. A traditional horsehair pouch extends just below the belt to just below the hem of the kilt. The most ordinary pattern contains black horsehair tassels on a white horsehair background, and the sporran also has a carved pewter or silver cantle. Versions made from horsehide rather than tail hair are better able to retain the compact shape and decor of less showy, semi-dress versions.

Which closure and cantle should you expect for each occasion

Closures and cantles tell you the level almost at once. On a day sporran, expect a leather flap with a stud or hook closure and no metal top, which keeps the front flat and quiet for daily movement. On a semi-dress sporran, expect a leather flap at the top, sometimes with Celtic or Scottish work and pewter badge decoration, with the fur confined to the front and the gusset kept in leather. On a full-dress sporran, expect a metal cantle that arcs along the top and conceals the clasp, typically made of pewter or silver, and a rear fastening where a stud on a small flap connects front and rear. On a dress sporran more broadly, expect a sterling or silver-plated cantle trimming the top, sometimes with filigree, knot etching, a stone, jewel, or emblem. Sporran on Wikipedia also notes that sporrans are typically made of animal skin, and that production, ownership and transportation across borders may be regulated by legislation intended to control the trade of protected and endangered species. A 2007 BBC report on legislation introduced by the Scottish Executive stated that sporran owners may need licences to prove that the animals used in construction conformed to these regulations. In 2009, European politicians voted to ban the sale of seal products, putting an end to the use of seal in sporran production.

Sporran on Wikipedia provides the definition of the word as purse, the accounts of day, dress, full-dress, semi-dress, full mask and horsehair types, and the notes on materials, law, and the tradition of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Lay your belt, buckle and pouch on a table, match the motifs across cantle and buckle, set the strap so the pouch hangs below the buckle, and practise turning it to your hip before you drive or dance.